News

Freund so close

Posted on 27 August 2000
- 12:00

English Barclays Premiership

Steffen Freund will not come closer to breaking his goalscoring duck.

The German midfielder has yet to score since joining us from Borussia Dortmund back in January last year but with 50 minutes on the clock at Newcastle it looked like that might change. Freund was involved in an amazing 10-second sequence at St James' Park when our best spell of pressure somehow failed to reap an equaliser.

Darren Anderton's cross was palmed away by Shay Given, Freund clipped a cross back in and Oyvind Leonhardsen's effort hit the post. The rebound fell straight to Freund, whose measured sidefoot was cleared off the line by Aaron Hughes.

Fifteen minutes later Daniel Cordone wrapped up United's win after Gary Speed's first-half opener. Freund reflected: "I don't know if the first goal was offside or not but we went 1-0 down and this a bad situation in Newcastle.

"We had five good chances chances to come back. We had Les's header, Leo hit the post, mine off the line and I think we were unlucky in these situations. Later on Newcastle scored again and congratulations to them.

"They started well and played good football in the first half, we had a lot of problems and then if you go 1-0 down it is hard to come back.

"We have to win now against Everton. We lost against Newcastle, we had a chance for one point but didn't manage to take it and now it is important to win the next game."